Cooking Forks

Evidently, no one cooks with forks anymore.

When my mom cooked steaks, bacon, and probably a lot of other things, she used a two-tined fork about ten or twelve inches long. As I learned to cook, I did the same thing. I’ve always had two or three in the kitchen. I use them when I cook steaks on the grill. I have a nylon one that is safe for non-stick coatings.

The other day, my nicest one fell apart in the dishwasher. I tossed it in the trash, resolving to buy a replacement.

I didn’t realize how difficult that would be. No one sells them anymore.

No longer in the kitchen gadget aisle of the grocery store. Not at Target or Walmart. Looking online, William-Sonoma and Crate & Barrel don’t have any.

It turns out they are archaic, and no one uses them anymore. There are a few still made, but many manufacturers are calling them “granny forks.”

There are grill forks. These tend to be massive things made for cave men to turn whole animal carcasses at a safe distance from a bonfire. There are carving forks. These have long, slender, straight tines for piercing roast meats while slicing with a carving knife. (I should probably get one of those.)

OXO makes one, but no one stocks it locally. I’ll have to order it from Amazon.

A friend was over once, and as I made breakfast, she offered to help with the bacon. She didn’t want to use the fork I had. She wanted tongs, instead. It had never occurred to me how much more sensible they are for bacon. Since then, I’ve only used tongs to cook bacon. I now have a pair with nylon jaws that are safe for non-stick coatings.

I suppose I could learn to use tongs to cook steaks on the grill. I should probably look for tongs that are shaped appropriately for the task.